4 
COLORADO EXPERIMENT STATION 
it is shown that one-half or more of this residue is digested by sheep 
in the case of alfalfa hay, native hay and corn fodder, but less than 
one-half in the case of timothy hay and sorghum fodder, and even 
less than one-third in the case of one of our native saltbushes which 
w'as studied wdth the purpose of seeing whether it might be used as 
a fodder. This residue or cellulose is not only digested by the animals 
to a large extent, over one-half of it being digested in the fodders 
which gave good feeding results, but the energy wdiich it yielded 
to the animal was large, in the corn fodder, the alcoholic extract alone 
furnished more energy. 
§ 6. We have heard so much about proteids and their value 
that we have come to think of these substances as the most important 
portions of a fodder. This is largely because they are not as abundant 
as some other kinds of substance and may be present in a fodder 
in such small quantities that the feeder may have to purchase them in 
order to obtain results wTich he desires. This bulletin does not in 
any w’ay low^er the value to be placed on the nitrogenous portions of 
the fodder, but it shows that the value of a fodder depends largely 
upon the character of its other constituents. The writer shows that 
two lots of sheep, one receiving alfalfa hay, the other salt bush hay, 
were digesting very large and nearly the same amounts of porteids 
but very different amounts of other substances included under the 
general term of carbohydrates, particularly was this true of the 
cellulose which represents those carbohydrates which were capable of 
resisting the action of the several chemicals previously named. The 
sheep receiving alfalfa gained nine pounds in live weight during the 
five days elapsing between he tw^o \veighings, and those receiving 
saltbush hay lost eight and one-half pounds. Attention is called to 
this fact and in explanation, it is pointed out that the cause of loss 
in the latter case is not due to a lack of proteids, for the amount of 
this class of substances digested is nearly as large as in the former 
case. The question in regard to the relative value of the nitrogenous 
constituents of the fodders is suggested and while it is admitted 
that there may be a difference in this respect they are assumed to be 
equal, no data being at hand to justify any assertion to the contrary. 
§ 7. The tw^o lots of sheep digested approximately the same 
amounts of proteids and it is held that assuming them to have the 
same value in the two fodders, the explanation of gain in the one 
case and the loss in the other is not to be found in this part of the 
fodder and consequently we have to study the effects of the other 
constituents. 
§ 8. The amount of the different extracts, their digestibility 
and their fuel values are taken as indicators of their respective values. 
It is acknowledged that a small amount of some therapeutically active 
substance might exert a very markedly disturbing action, but though 
this fact was known and looked for no indication is given that such 
effects were noticed. In fact, the statement is repeatedly made that 
the animals appeared comfortable and contented, that they chewed 
their cuds contentedly or equivalent expressions. This assumption re- 
